fenderwell headers

time to pick your brains once again. i am putting an FE in my 56 fairlane and i would love to use fenderwell headers. i've bin getting bits and peices of info about using bbc fenderwell headers that fit 55-57 chevys. seems like the primary tubes are very close and you cut the flange from the bbc and fit the tubes to the bbf. has anyone done this or heard of it? this seems like a great alternative to having custom headers built. thanks in advance for your help.

 

I have seen it done before with a hemi using bbc headers it takes some work. As long as the tubes are close to the same spacing as the FE then a flange change wouldnt be to bad. But if you end up having to cut them apart and change tubes around its just about as easy to have some built.

 

This is a bad picture of a picture of a Henry J with a FE in it with big block Chevy fender well headers. He said he used FE header flange and welded the Chevy headers to the flange. He said it was easy.

Jim

 

thanks guys. i plan on keeping the stock steering box and clutch linkage so this might be the way to go and i love the look. the only headers i can find for my application are from FPA and they are salty and you still need to modify the clutch linkage.

 

I used sbc header kit for my sbf used ford flanges . worked out really good, I just dont tell anyone theres a chevy part on my g***er.

 

It might work but there is not much room to turn the headers up due to the width of the engine and the closeness of the upper control arm. Maybe the BBC headers will clear but maybe not. I'd do a lot of measuring before investing.

 

Had a similar question at the G***er Hotrods forum recently. Here's the center to center measurements for a BBC header, so you can figure if it's a good match. I think from what I've heard they are!
Measurements from center of #1 port are #3-4 3/4", #5-9 5/8", #7-14 1/2" These are approx., but pretty close. Hope they're similar enough to adapt to a Ford header flange.

 

Getting the header flange to fit the engine seems to be the easy part, apparently done before. Getting the headers to fit the body is another story. If thinking those shock towers maybe a problem.

 

The FE Exhaust ports are not symmetrical, BBC ports are. Here are the header gaskets for each overlayed so you can see how far you have to tweak them

 

What about using a set of the cheap Patriot Fat Fender headers, BBC then use the FE flanges... these sweep back and clear shock towers...they may even make a set for the FE engine?

 

great info guys. this may be a dumb idea but here me out. get a set of fe headers and swap them from left to right and upside down. then cut each primary tube and leave them a couple of inches long to fit to the bbc primary tubes. the fe's may be to close to the cyl. head or to far forward, like i said it may be a dumb idea. what do you think?